Matthew Brown is a Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon based at the Lothian Hand Unit at St John’s Hospital in Livingston (NHS Lothian). His specialist surgical practice is dedicated entirely to the hand and wrist. Matthew is on the Specialist Register for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and is one of the few UK hand surgeons to hold both the British (BSSH) and European (FESSH) diplomas in Hand Surgery.

Matthew manages the full breadth of elective and traumatic hand conditions, but is especially interested in hand arthritis (including base of thumb), Dupuytren’s disease, arthroscopic (keyhole) wrist surgery, sports injuries (including wrist ligament injuries), and nerve conditions (including carpal tunnel syndrome).

Matthew provides compassionate and evidence-based surgical care, works closely with hand therapy colleagues and always prioritises non-surgical treatments before considering surgery. His broad surgical experience enables Matthew to integrate orthopaedic and plastic surgery operative techniques. Matthew has written book chapters on hand surgery and is published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of Hand Surgery (European). In 2019, Matthew was selected to join the UK organising committee of the London 2022 triennial world congress of the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand. Matthew is an alumnus of the British Orthopaedic Association’s Future Leaders Programme. Currently, Matthew is a Council member of the International Wrist Arthroscopy Society (IWAS).

Matthew graduated from King’s College London (Guy’s, King’s College & St Thomas’ Hospitals), University of London, in 2007, and completed his postgraduate orthopaedic surgical training on the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (Stanmore) training programme in London. This provided specialist training at centres of excellence, including the Royal Free, Stoke Mandeville and Great Ormond Street hospitals. During his residency, Matthew was President of the British Orthopaedic Trainees’ Association (BOTA) and a Council member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the BOA. 

Matthew subsequently completed two years of advanced subspecialist orthoplastic hand and wrist fellowship training at the Lothian Hand Unit (St John’s Hospital) and the hand unit at Wrightington Hospital in Lancashire. With travel awards from the British Society for Surgery of the Hand and the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), Matthew advanced his interest in arthroscopic (keyhole) wrist surgery and other techniques by completing travelling fellowships with leading experts in Paris (Institut de la Main), Barcelona (Institut Kaplan) and Oslo (Sykehuset Østfold).

Matthew maintains a strong interest in surgical education, including the training of current and future surgeons. He regularly teaches on UK and international courses, including in Dubai, Hong Kong and Strasbourg. He is a tutor for the University of Edinburgh’s Masters (ChM) in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery and is on the organising committee of the BSSH’s flagship Instructional Course in Hand Surgery.

Outside of work, Matthew enjoys skiing, cooking, cycling and hiking in Scotland.